Love birds and nature? Want to improve your photography?

This relaxed bird photography workshop is a great opportunity to spend a weekend in nature, photographing birds, learning about photography and sampling delicious local food with likeminded people.

This event is designed for beginners, hosted on the property of Ian Congdon and Courtney Young from Woodstock Flour, guided by Canberra bird photographer, Olivia Congdon. The focus will be on having fun and providing you with everything you need to know when delving into bird photography as a hobby.

No level of experience is required (with birdwatching or photography), but it’s recommended that you have a DSLR camera with a zoom/telephoto lens of 200mm or longer. A shorter lens is okay – but you’ll get more out of it with a longer lens.

The weekend will include:

Dawn and dusk birdwatching walks
Bird photography guidance, camera settings tips, in-the-field tricks and inspiration
Editing advice and photo critique at Rutherglen’s beautiful Ka Ching Coworking Space
Breakfast and lunch made by local producers, including Woodstock Flour.

You’ll need to bring:

Camera and long lens
Laptop with any photo editing software you have on it (eg. Lightroom, Photoshop)
Binoculars if you have them
Hat, clothes for outdoors & raincoat (in case of bad weather)
Accommodation and evening meals aren’t included, but let us know if you’d like advice on camping spots or local accommodation

Group up to 7 people.

Rain or shine, we'll go ahead, unless severe or dangerous weather is forecast.

SCHEDULE:

Saturday 29th March 2025
Time	Activity	Location	Notes
8am	Morning bird walk	Black Dog Creek, Lilliput (Woodstock Flour)	Instructions on how to get here and where to meet will be provided
9am	Brunch and introduction	Lilliput (Woodstock Flour)	Brunch by Woodstock
12pm	Techniques and tricks	Lilliput (Woodstock Flour)	Lunch by Rutherglen Caterer, Savoy Truffle Co
2.30pm	Free time
6.30pm	Dusk photos on farm	Lilliput (Woodstock Flour)	Experiment with tips learnt earlier in the day
Sunday 30th March 2025
6.30am	Sunrise bird walk	Lake Moodemere, Rutherglen	Breakfast by Woodstock
10am	Editing, photo critique, Q&A	Ka-Ching Coworking Space, Rutherglen	Lunch by Rutherglen Caterer, Savoy Truffle Co
1/2pm	Wrap up after lunch

YOUR HOSTS:

Olivia Congdon is an award-winning bird photographer, whose work has appeared in Australian Geographic, BirdLife Australia, Galah Magazine, and the ABC. She’s been a guest speaker on the Weekend Birder podcast and for local ornithological groups. Olivia works at the Australian National University as a Senior Science Writer. She lives in Canberra and is a total bird nerd.

Ian Congdon and Courtney Young run Woodstock Flour in Lilliput, Vic. They grow and mill organic grain to produce stoneground flour for bakeries, restaurants and homes across the country. They're passionate advocates for regenerative agriculture and supporting a local food economy that ensures the health of our ecosystems and community.

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